


By any other name

by AmanaMistleaf



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Misunderstandings, Soulmates, no beta we die like Glenn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:21:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23439124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmanaMistleaf/pseuds/AmanaMistleaf
Summary: "O be some other name.What’s in a name? That which we call a roseBy any other name would smell as sweet"Byleth hates fate, especially when it works against her.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 11
Kudos: 132





	By any other name

**Author's Note:**

> So I was looking at soulmate prompts the other day and stumbled upon the classic "your soulmate's name is written on your wrist" and I thought nothing of it for .4 seconds before my brain went "HEY WAIT YOU CAN DO SOME CLAUDELETH STUFF WITH THIS" and I replied "OH SHIT U RIGHT"

Byleth was born with shit luck.

On the very day she was born, she lost someone who was  _ supposed  _ to be one of the most important people in her life: her mother. Twenty-one years later, she returned to the place she was born (although she didn’t know this at the time) and became a professor. Rhea tried to make her a puppet - she was nothing but a vessel to that woman. Whatever was done to her as a baby made it difficult for her to express emotion. When she thought all was going well, Jeralt died - left to bleed out in her arms. A month later, she almost died thanks to Solon’s trap; she only survived thanks to Sothis sacrificing herself. And then to top it all off, Edelgard started a war, attacked the Monastery, and then Byleth fell into a five-year slumber.

As if her luck couldn’t get any worse, she wasn’t even destined to be with the person she loved.

Growing up a mercenary, Byleth had learned something  _ very  _ quickly: the world was full of different things. No two countries or regions were the same, not even the ones within Fódlan. You wouldn’t find the bland dishes or heavy clothes of Faerghus in the country of Almyra. The beaches of the Sreng region were surrounded by deserts and wastelands, not bustling towns like the Adrestian Empire. The Leicester Alliance was always busy with trade and commerce, unlike the desecrated and abandoned country that was once Duscur.

Many of these places hated each other for those differences, which was always a strange concept to Byleth; sure, someone might have a different shade of skin and speak another language, but that doesn’t mean they’re not human. As her job was to kill, Byleth knew more than anyone that every single person bled the same red blood.

The one thing that  _ every  _ region and country shared was how one’s “soulmate” was determined. At any point past the age of eighteen, your soulmate’s name would appear on your wrist - invisible to everyone but you. Sometimes, names would appear on the person’s eighteenth birthday, but it was not uncommon for a name to appear a few years later.

Why this happened, Byleth had no idea, but the world accepted it. In some cases, it didn’t even lead to love or marriage. Some soulmates became life partners, content to live their lives with a strong bond - kind of like close brothers or sisters in arms; there were a few couples like that in her father’s mercenary band. 

Byleth never really cared about her soulmate. Growing up, she understood that any day could be her last. Having a lover would make things difficult - distract her. When her soulmate’s name appeared on her wrist, she paid it no mind, covering it up with steel gauntlets and gloves. The poor fool that was destined to be hers would have to live a life of disappointment, as she had no interest in finding him.

And then she met Claude.

Byleth was drawn to the boy from the very first moment they met. He had this air about him that intrigued her, and she’d be damned if she let this mystery go unsolved. Choosing to teach his house was an easy decision and one she didn’t regret for a moment. Throughout their year together, they formed a bond stronger than either had ever seen before. He was her first real friend - first  _ close  _ friend - despite them being student and teacher. There were even times when the two would never be seen apart.

And when Byleth woke up after five years, he was the first to welcome her back. He’d grown into a strong (and handsome) leader, leading the Alliance through years of hardship and war. She knew it was hard on him, to be alone for so long, and wished with every bit of her being that she could have been by his side, but what’s done is done. 

She was here now, and that’s all that mattered.

Claude made her feel many things. Trust, joy, friendship, empathy, and so,  _ so much  _ more. Sometimes, Byleth wondered if she would be as expressive if she chose any other house. All these emotions and feelings Claude gave her were welcome save for one. The one thing she feared more than  _ anything  _ had come true. She fought it as long as she could, but she couldn’t deny the truth forever.

She was in love with Claude.

But she could never be with him.

The name on her wrist said Khalid _ ,  _ not Claude _. _

…

She wondered whose name was on his wrist, or if he even had one yet. Whoever it was didn’t know how lucky they were. She couldn’t help but feel bubbling anxiety whenever he met someone new.  _ What if they were his soulmate?  _ Byleth knew it was ridiculous, but she didn’t want to let him go. Not yet. She knew they’d still be best friends once he finds his soulmate, of course they would, but she couldn’t get rid of the sour taste in her mouth.

As the war dragged on, her feelings for him grew. Every moment they shared were treasured memories; she adored when they shared meals or had tea together; every time she healed his wounds or rewound his death was a knife in her unbeating heart. 

She had to let go of her love, there was no other choice. 

So, she talked to him as little as possible. She avoided his presence or made excuses to not see him. She ate meals alone in her room and refused to train with the others. When she was the only healer on site, she would close his wounds as quickly (and carefully) as possible, and be sure to not touch his sun-kissed skin. How she kept this up for a month, she didn’t know.

But of course,  _ of fucking course,  _ that only made her miss and love him more.

Damn her and her horrible,  _ awful  _ luck.

…

A few days before their assault on Embarr, Claude had called Byleth in for a private meeting. Seeing as that they had one chance at ending the war, she agreed; she couldn’t let her troublesome emotions get in the way of their victory. It went as smooth as it could, the two of them crouched over a map in his office as they discussed strategy. It felt nice, to be back in their old flow; however, it would end immediately after the meeting came to a close.

And that time came quicker than they wanted. With the final markers on the map and plans written down, Byleth prepared to bid her best friend goodnight. Her heart ached at the thought, noticing just how much she needed him.  _ How much she loved him… _

_ Khalid, I’m so sorry, whoever you are. Soulmate or not, I will never love you the way I love Claude. _

Before she could leave the room, Claude grabbed her arm. “I’m not letting you go this time.” Was all he said before pulling her to his chest. 

Byleth stiffened in his hold, wanting to both flee and melt. She could feel and hear his heartbeat and found that it was probably the most comforting thing she’d ever experienced. His arms tightened, nuzzling his face into her mint-green hair. “I’ve missed you…”

Finally, Byleth relented. She wrapped her own arms around his torso, relishing in his warmth. “I’ve missed you, too…”  _ Has he always been this large? He was so tiny when I met him! Barely weighing more than a block of lumber! _

Claude chuckled - she could feel it against her cheek. “Then why have you been avoiding me?”

A thick lump burned in her throat, fists wrinkling his shirt. “I-it’s hard to explain.” She could only manage those words.  _ I love you, but you’re not my soulmate. How the hell do I explain that? _

“I’m here.” He pulled away, a pained smile on his face. “C’mon, By. You can tell me anything.”

Byleth pulled her arms back, glaring at the name on her wrist.  _ Khalid...why can’t you be Claude?  _ “I’m sorry, Claude. I-I just can’t say it right now…” She shook her head.

The Alliance Leader frowned, his eyes quickly flickering from her wrist to his own. “Teach…”

“I’m sorry - I’m just… I’m sorry.” Byleth turned to walk away, but Claude grabbed her once more.

Her face flushed with how close they were, faces only inches apart.  _ Oh goddess, what the hell is happening?! Why is he so close?! What the fu- _

All of her thoughts were thrown away as he pressed his lips against hers. 

Byleth thought she was either going to pass out or wake up from a dream. He was kissing her.  _ He was kissing her!  _ He pulled away for a moment, gazing at her with half-lidded eyes that asked for permission to continue. If her heart actually beat, she swore it would have been racing (she could tell just by the speed of Claude’s). 

Byleth didn’t wait any longer as she dove for him, breath escaping their lungs but neither of them cared. His hand tangled in her hair as her tongue traced his lower lip, begging for more; he was happy to oblige. His free arm supported her by wrapping around her waist, dipping them slightly. The former professor scrambled for purchase, hands ending up on his cheeks and caressing his beard. He growled at her ministrations, the sound rumbling against her mouth.

She’d been hit by fire magic many times before and even cast it, but neither of those made her burn as much as she did now. The man she loved more than life itself was right here in front of her, ready to give everything he was should she say the word. He tasted of pine needles and cinnamon, two flavors she could get lost in for the rest of eternity _.  _ It felt good - it felt  _ right. _

...But it wasn’t right.

Byleth’s soulmate was a man who wasn’t Claude, but she found she didn’t care. However, Claude’s soulmate was still out there, wondering where their Claude was. Byleth was ready to break Khalid’s heart, but would Claude be able to break his soulmate’s?

She pulled away, lips swollen and breath taken away. Claude was doing no better, chest heaving in uneven pants. His beautiful emerald eyes bored into her, studying every inch of her face - he was probably trying to commit this moment to memory; Byleth was doing the same. Then, he laid a hand on her cheek, thumbing away something wet.

“You’re crying…” He whispered, voice rough.

Byleth reached up and found that he was speaking the truth, warm tears clinging to her calloused fingertips. “O-oh… I am…”

Claude smiled, eyes twinkling. “Tears of joy, I hope?”

His optimism broke her. She wanted so badly to say yes, to tell him they were meant to be together; but she would be lying. More tears fell, her chest starting to heave in uneven sobs. “N-no…”

She collapsed into his chest, tears staining his soft-cotton shirt. He didn’t seem to care as he held her tight, rubbing a warm hand up and down her back while the other pet her hair. She suddenly found herself transported back five years, when he held and comforted her next to Jeralt’s cooling body. 

“It’s going to be alright,  _ azizam _ …”  _ Dammit, Claude… Why do you have to be so...you!  _ “We can work this out. I love you.”

Byleth gasped, tears clogging her throat. “I-I l-love you t-too…”  _ Might as well be honest… _

Claude beamed at her, his hand finding her cheek once more. “That’s some pretty good news if I’ve ever heard it.” He bent down to kiss her forehead. “But what’s got you so upset?”

_ Is he being serious right now? How is he not concerned about the name on his wrist that doesn’t say Byleth!  _ “C-Claude, how are  _ you  _ not upset either?!”

He raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Um...the love of my life just confessed to me? If I’m being honest, I’m feeling pretty jazzed right now.”

“Oh, Claude…” She gazed at her wrist once more, saying a silent goodbye to Khalid. “You’re not my soulmate.”

“...What…?”

“You’re not my soulmate,” she repeated, more tears threatening to escape her eyes. “I’ve had this name with me since I was eighteen, and it doesn’t say Claude. How can you be so calm when your own wrist-”

“My wrist says Byleth.”

“Doesn’t even have-” Byleth stopped in her tracks, her world coming to a stop.  _ Byleth. Byleth. Byleth. His wrist says Byleth.  _ “...How?”

Claude pressed his forehead against hers, breathing in her scent. “A year after you disappeared, your name appeared on my wrist. I was absolutely  _ broken,  _ By,” he muttered. “...But it also gave me hope. Your name appeared  _ after  _ your supposed death. How would that be possible if you had already left the world? You were  _ alive  _ and my  _ soulmate.  _ I-I could hardly contain my joy! Just ask Hilda, she’ll tell you I was over the moon for weeks!”

She looked up at him, eyes blown wide open. “B-but how is this possible? You have my name but I don’t have yours. Byleth isn’t exactly a common name, you know.”

“Because you’re one of a kind, my love.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “We’ll figure this out - we  _ always  _ figure things out,” he promised. “In the end, we’re in love, and that’s all that matters.”

Byleth smiled, tucking herself into his arms. “You’re right…”  _ And I’m  _ his  _ soulmate, so something is going right.  _ “I don’t care about this Khalid person. I love you, and I’ll only love you.”

Claude stiffened, heart racing faster than before. Byleth pulled away with a confused frown, seeing all the color drained from his face and eyes bugged out. “Claude? What’s wrong?” She expected a reaction, but not  _ this.  _

“Shit…” His voice was broken and panicked.

Concern flushed the former professor. “What? Do you know this person?”

The man bit his lip, stepping away from her.  _ Did I say something wrong? Oh goddess, I messed this relationship up before it even started, didn’t I?  _ “I...I just realized I forgot to tell you something very,  _ very  _ important…”

Byleth tilted her head in curiosity. “Can’t it wait? We’re kinda in the middle of something.”

He shook his head. “Nope. No, this is a pretty big fuck up on my part.” It wasn’t like him to curse so often, so he must have  _ really  _ done something bad. “So...uhh...well…”

“Yes?”

“Um, Claude may or may not be my real name…”

“...”

“A-actually, it kinda isn’t. I mean it is! But like...not.”

_ Please don’t tell me this is going where I think it is. _

“Nope. Yeah. It’s a fake name. “

_ For the love of the goddess... _

“MyrealnameisKhalidpleasedontbemad.”

Silence.

More silence.

And…

“...Are you fucking serious?”

He gave her awkward finger-guns. “No, I’m Khalid...haha…”

_ All that anxiety, all those unnecessary worries, and this dumbass was my soulmate all along?! _

_ Khalid  _ wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing gentle kisses on her head. “You’re not mad, right?” He sounded like a kid who burnt his house down.

Byleth slipped from his embrace, turning around and crossing her arms. “I’m going back to not talking to you.”

“B-Byelth!” He chased after her, only to be met by a stubborn soulmate. “I’m sorry! I really am! Can we go back to hugging and kissing?!”

“Hmpf.”

“Please?!”

“Bad boys don’t get kisses.”

“Bwuh - how long is this in place?”

“As long as I want it to.”

“Byleth, my sweet love, my moon and stars, my petite wyvern, my lovely jewel, I’m so sorry. Please hug me.”

“Hmmm...no.”

“Byleeeeeeth!”

After a bit more chasing, he managed to ensnare her in another embrace (and if she was being honest, she wanted to feel his arms around her again). He rested his chin atop her head. “I’m sorrrrry!” he pouted.

Byleth only hummed, knocking her head against his ribcage. “Dumbass.” 

Khalid ignored her (although she was right), kissing her all over and whispering sweet nothings into her ear.

_ I can’t believe this...Claude, I mean, Khalid is really my soulmate! Once the initial annoyance subsides, I’ll make sure to celebrate with him. I wish he would have told me sooner, through… Oh well, he has his secrets for a reason. I’m sure he has more that I’ll be able to pry out. I already suspect he’s an Almyran prince so let’s see how that plays out.  _

_ But for now, I’m going to enjoy the company of my idiotic and loving soulmate. _

**Author's Note:**

> He's a dumbass but we love him


End file.
